Dive
Centers & Accommodations
General
Information
The
car tags say it all, "Divers
Paradise". An island that almost
exclusively caters to scuba diving
enthusiasts, Bonaire is covered
with cacti and scrub bush along
with wild goats and donkeys thrown
in for good measure.
In contrast, underwater Bonaire
is truly spectacular. The corals
are beautiful and healthy and there's
an abundance of fish life, thanks
to the foresight of the government.
Because the waters around Bonaire
are designated as an official marine
park and have been protected for
more than 20 years, diving Bonaire
is like diving the Caribbean the
way it used to be - untouched and
unspoiled.
The Wall, sometimes vertical, sometimes
sloping, starts just a few feet
from shore. Bonaire is the perfect
place for shore diving and most
shore dive sites are marked by large
yellow rocks with the name of the
site stenciled on them.
More than 60 dive sites are accessible
by shore, making Bonaire one of
the the most enjoyable dive destinations.
When visiting, spend time touring
the island. You'll see salt flats,
a beautiful "pink beach",
an old lighthouse, slave huts, Washington
National Park, a wildlife preserve
and great spot for seeing animal
species unique to Bonaire, pink
flamingos, beautiful Parroquets,
lorets, big blue lizards and three
foot iguanas. Lac Bay, on the windward
side of the island, has some of
the best windsurfing in the world.
The island's location in the south
Caribbean gives it an arid climate
with little rain fall; consequently,
the waters are exceptionally clear
of silt, calm, and diveable year
round. It is an ideal destination
for underwater photographers.
Climate 75 - 85F 24 - 29C
Water Temp 78 - 86F 25.6-28.9C
Visibility Average 100+ ft. 30+
m
Getting
There
From North America
American
Eagle currently operates daily
nonstop flights from San Juan, Puerto
Rico to and from Bonaire, with originating
gateways from major U.S. cities.
On
February 9, 2008, Delta Airlines
will commence their weekly non-stop
flights from Atlanta to Bonaire
and return.
Flight
#371 will depart Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International Airport at
10:00 AM, and arrive at Bonaire’s
Flamingo Airport at 3:20 PM. The
return flight #370 will depart Bonaire
at 4:15 PM and arrive in Atlanta
at 7:45 PM. The equipment will be
a Boeing 737-800 with 150 seats
(15 in Business Class and 134 in
Economy).
Continental
Airlines offers two non-stop
weekly flights. The first is a round-trip
flight between Newark and Bonaire,
utilizing a Boeing 737 with 124
seats, the weekly flight departs
Newark on Saturdays at 11:55 PM,
and arrives Bonaire on the following
Sunday morning at 5:40 AM.
Continental
Airlines also flies weekly non-stop
flight from its Houston hub. Flight
#1898 departs Houston on Fridays
at 11:30 p.m., arriving in Bonaire
on Saturdays at 6:15 a.m. The return
flight, #1899, departs Bonaire on
Saturdays at 8:00 a.m., arriving
in Houston at 10:50 a.m. Continental
Airlines also uses a Boeing 737
airplane with 124 seats including
12 first class seats. Continental
Airlines is the world's sixth largest
airline.
American
Airlines flies direct, non-stop
to Curaçao from Miami. Passengers
then use Dutch
Antilles Express to connect
to Bonaire. Flying time between
Curaçao and Bonaire is approximately
15-30 minutes. Or, Divi Divi, which
flies between Bonaire and Curacao
numerous times on a daily basis,
can be reached at: +599-9-839-1515
or fax +599-9-868 1949. Currently,
Insel
Air flies between Curaçao
and Bonaire on Fridays and Sundays,
and they should be increasing their
service to daily flights on or about
October 15, 2007. Until that time,
charters are available. Their offices
can be reached in Curaçao
at phone: +599-9-733-1521 or +599-9-733-1522,
or at the airport at +599-9-868-4400
or 868-6600.
Another
routing option is to fly on any
of a number of major U.S. and South
American carriers to Aruba and then
take Dutch
Antilles Express or Tiara
Air from there to Bonaire.
Contact
Dutch
Antilles Express at their new
call center, which can be reached
at +599-717-0808, and which is open
Monday through Friday from 9:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Payment can be
made with debit or credit card,
with an e-ticket sent by email or
fax. Reservations on DAE can also
be made by emailing reservations@flydae.com
or faxing +599-717-0880. They fly
several times daily to Bonaire from
both Curaçao and Aruba. Tiara
Air flies non-stop flights six times
each week from Aruba to Bonaire
and back.
From
Europe
KLM
flies direct from Amsterdam to Bonaire
several times each week; the flight
continues on to Quito, Ecuador.
Arkefly
provides weekly service from Amsterdam
to Bonaire during the high season.
They utilize aircraft that can accommodate
200-plus passengers.
From
South America
From Ecuador, the same KLM
flight returns to Bonaire with non-stop
flights.
From
Venezuela, Transaven
flies from Caracas or Valencia to
Bonaire. Their reservation office
can be reached by calling +(599)
717-8446 or +(599) 717-9944, or
via FAX at +(599) 786-1086. They
can accept reservations via email
at bonaire@transaven.com.
Charters can be also arranged.
From
Brazil, Varig
and Avianca
fly from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
to Aruba, which connect with Dutch
Antilles Express. Avianca
also flies from Bogota to Curacao,
from which connections to Bonaire
can be made.
From
Colombia, Avianca
has flights from Bogota to Aruba,
which connect with Dutch
Antilles Express. Also, Dutch
Antilles Express has recently
announced they will soon begin service
to Bogota, via Caracas.
Entry Requirements
Citizens of most countries in the
world do not need a visa for their
entry to our island. However, effective
January 1, 2005, visitors from the
following countries are now required
to have a visa for stays of up to
3 months (90 days) in the Netherlands
Antilles, since beginning in 2005,
the Dutch Kingdom synchronized visa
requirements among Aruba and the
Netherlands Antilles.
| Afghanistan |
Fiji |
Rwanda |
| Albania |
Gabon |
Salomon
Islands |
| Algeria |
Gambia |
Sao
Tome and Principal |
| Angola |
Georgia |
Saudi-Arabia |
| Armenia |
Ghana |
Seychelles |
| Azerbeidzjan |
Guinea |
Senegal |
| Bahrein |
Guinea-Bissau |
Servia
and Montenegro |
| Bangladesh |
Haiti |
Sierra
Leone |
| Belarus |
India |
Soedan |
| Benin |
Indonesia |
Somalia |
| Bhutan |
Iraq |
Sri
Lanka |
| Bosnia |
Iran |
Swaziland |
| Botswana |
Jemen |
Syria |
| Burkina
Faso |
Jordania |
Tadzjikistan |
| Burundi |
Kazakhstan |
Taiwan |
| Cambodia |
Kenya |
Tanzania |
| Cameroen |
Kirgizia |
Thailand |
| Cape
Verdia |
Kiribati |
Turkmenistan |
| Central
African Rep. |
Kuwait |
Togo |
| China
(except for |
Laos |
Tonga |
| Hong
Kong SAR and |
Lesotho |
Tsjaad |
| BNO
holders) |
Libanon |
Tunesia |
| Colombia |
Liberia |
Turkey |
| Comores |
Libia |
Tuvalu |
| Congo-Brazzaville |
Macedonia |
United
Arab Emirates |
| Congo-Democrat
Rep. |
Madagascar |
Vanuatu |
| Cote
d’Iviore |
Malawi |
Vietnam |
| Cuba |
Maldives |
West-Samao |
| Dominican
Rep. |
Mali |
Yugoslavia |
| Djibouti |
Morocco |
Zambia |
| Egypt |
Peru |
Zimbabwe |
| Equatorial
Guinea |
Philippines |
South
Africa |
| Eritrea |
Qatar |
|
| Ethiopia |
Russian
Federation |
|
Maximum total days that
one can stay on the island is 90
days! The latter can be
used in one period or during different
visits in one year.
Extending
Your Stay:
Visitors
from countries that either appear
or do not appear on the above list
are required to request extension
of their stay after a 14 days period
(2 weeks). For visitors from countries
other than those appearing above,
visits of up to 14 days (2 weeks)
are allowed without any permit.
Citizens
of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg,
along with any other countries with
whom the Netherlands has reached
an agreement on visa requirements,
are allowed to stay up to 90 days
(3 months), without having to apply
for a visit extension.
To
prolong your visit, present the
following documentation in person
at the immigration office at Kaya
Libertador Simon Bolivar #7 (behind
Tourist Corporation Bonaire's office):
- Passport
- Visa
(in passport), if required
- Return
ticket
- You
may be required to provide proof
that you have the financial
resources to stay up to your
new desired date. This information
may also be requested upon entry
into Bonaire, but is up to the
discretion of Immigration.
Nationals
of the United States and Canada
- A
valid Passport
- A
re-entry permit to the US, a
valid non quota immigration
visa or an Alien Registration
(green card) for non USA citizens
residing in the USA, plus a
valid driver's license
For
more information on visas or extending
of your visit, please call the Immigration
Office of Bonaire, Phone: +599-717-6880.
Travel
Tips
Transportation
Bonaire has no public transportation.
You'll have to choose between taxis,
a rental car, moped or bicycle to
get around the island. Main roads
are paved. Most of Bonaire's unpaved
roads are decent, but some areas,
including Washington/Slagbaai Park,
become impassable after rain. Local
driving habits are casual: Occasionally
two drivers, traveling in opposite
directions, stop to have a "Bonaire
meeting." You may also find
that the roads are sometimes blocked
by goats or donkeys.
Auto rental agencies are easy to
find. US, Canadian, and European
driver licenses are valid for use
on the island. Be careful of the
goats, donkeys and pedestrians that
roam the island's roads. All traffic
keeps to the right, and international
highway signs are used. Speed limit
is 40 km per hour (25 mph) in town
and 60 km to 80 km per hour (38-50
mph) in the countryside.
Banking
There are several banks downtown,
all of which have ATMs. Walk-up
hours are generally Monday-Friday
8:30 am-4 pm. Most banks remain
open during lunch.
Telephones
Phone service on the island is generally
good. International calls, faxes,
telegrams, telexes and other overseas
communications services are available
(at considerably less expensive
rates than resorts charge) at TELBO,
Kaya Simon Bolivar 8. Phone 599-717-7000.
Time Zone
4 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time
(-4 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is
not observed.
Tipping
Tip 15% in restaurants if a service
charge hasn't already been included
in the bill. If a gratuity has been
added, it's customary to leave another
5% or so for your waitperson if
the service is good. Tip cabdrivers
10% and bellhops US$1 per bag. If
you go diving, tip the dive shop
about 10%.
Electricity
127 volts (with surges up to 140
volts), 50 cycles. Some quick chargers
and old-style hairdryers overheat,
although newer 50/60 appliances
pose no problems.
What to Wear
Bonaire is generally an informal
island. Still, courteous visitors
wear at least shorts, a shirt and
sandals everywhere except on beaches
and at poolside.
Shopping
Duty-free items (especially watches),
T-shirts, jewelry, local art and
handicrafts are about all there
is to buy on Bonaire. Of these,
the art may be the best choice:
In recent years, Bonaire artists
have been busy creating distinctive
works.
Most of the good shopping is on
Kaya Grandi in Kralendijk. Besides
the usual trinket marts, there are
several shops carrying authentic
local art. Check out the flamingo
memorabilia, painted driftwood and
handmade jewelry at Jenny's Souvenirs
and Gifts, across from the post
office.
Don't expect to bargain in Bonaire's
shops, but feel free to do so with
the Venezuelan fruit vendors in
the market (you'll do better there
if you speak Spanish). Most stores
accept and list prices in U.S. currency.
Prices are in guilders if the number
is preceded by "fl," in
U.S. dollars if preceded by "$."
Restaurants
Bonaire is experiencing lots of
growth, so new restaurants open
frequently -- and not all stay in
business. If you stroll along Kaya
Grandi, Kaya J. N. E. Craane (the
waterfront road north of the piers)
and Kaya L. D. Gerharts, you'll
pass many eateries serving Caribbean,
Dutch, Indonesian and U.S. foods.
All are informal. Even the more
upscale restaurants are fairly casual
on Bonaire: Coats and ties are seldom
worn -- usually just for weddings
and funerals. On the menus, you'll
find mostly fish and some vegetables
and fruits -- most of it excellent
and well seasoned. Be sure to ask
about the local fare: soups and
stews made with salted meat, goat,
conch, plantains, okra, cactus or
the occasional iguana. (Many restaurants
serve local dishes, but they don't
necessarily list them on their menus.)
Everyone should try a rijsttafel:
A kind of Indonesian buffet, it
consists of rice accompanied by
6-20 small meat, vegetable and fish
side dishes. Dutch cheeses, chocolate
and coffee are also good, and Dutch
beer is widely available.